UPDATE: My friends in Pennsylvania and I have secured an apartment! But the property management company needs $2k up front from each of us individually before move-in June 1st (and rent thereafter is more than I had planned for, but it's out of my hands). I need to cover the rest of my lease here in Iowa ($1,200) this summer. My day job pays $500/wk and ends May 26th, and as soon as our lease is signed & binding, I'm hitting up every temp agency in PA and all the job boards I can think of. I'm going to make this work with a little help! I'd be totally sunk without this GoFundMe and everyone's ongoing donations!! Thank you!!

THE SITUATION: I moved to Iowa during COVID with a roommate on our limited means, and we made things work here for 2 years. He's now living in Brazil with his partner, and I've taken custody of his cats. Who I love! But who both need prescription cat food and have both racked up extensive dental bills. I've also taken over all the expenses here alone, and I just can't manage it anymore on the wages out here.

I myself am a transgender dude relying on HRT, and it's 2023, and I don't have a social or support network in Iowa; not even a local emergency contact, anymore. With everything going on lately with anti-trans panic, I don't want to be isolated out here if things keep getting weirder, and I want to be able to support my friends if things get worse nationally in the next few years. Most of my crew are back on the eastern seaboard so that's where I'm going.

I don't have much to move: just me, the cats, some books, and the audio equipment & cassettes for the zero-profit music archive/fansite I run while I'm not working 40 hours a week. Any donations not going to rent/bills for the summer will just cover the rental & gas for car trips between PA and IA and maybe some priority mail boxes, I'll really be stretching every dollar.

In summary: before August 1st, I have to clean and empty an apartment for two (and mail the rest of my old roomie's stuff to Brazil), rent a vehicle to move essentials, get my own car inspected for new reg/tags, pay rent on two places at once in the lease overlap for 2 months, probably forfeit my deposit for damages (cats), re-establish care for HRT with some doctor visits ($$$) and restock a few months worth of Rx cat food soon. I'll try to find a job in PA very very fast, but with payroll lag and onboarding I have to be ready for about a month where I don't get paid at all.

I'm working full time and have a couple hundred left across my credit cards for minor expenses, but it's very "no room for any surprises" here right now. Any help getting me & the cats back to Pennsylvania is hugely appreciated!